New York gets just as cold as Iceland in March. However, if I had these gorgeous glacier views instead of the concrete jungle I wouldn’t mind it so much. As part of my Southern Iceland tour, the first attraction on the agenda for the day was Mýrdalsjökull Glacier, which is just north of a small town called Vik. Even on a cloudy day, the glacier glowed in a stunning hint of blue as it sparkled against the white sky and black sand.

The Golden Circle tour was a good way to ease into my Iceland trip. Despite it being a bus tour, there was a decent amount of walking: National Thingvellir, Geysir, Icelandic horses, Gullfoss and, finally, The Secret Lagoon. The last stop was the perfect way to end a long, cold day outdoors.

This “secret” lagoon isn’t really a secret given that it’s part of the Northern Circle Tour. It’s dubbed the Secret Lagoon because it was forgotten for about 40 years. The land owners decided to revive it to show visitors what a true Icelandic bath is like compared to its more famous competitor – The Blue Lagoon.

You can clearly see by the grin on my face how ecstatic I was to befriend one of these Icelandic horses. These stubby, chubby, furry creatures were the highlight of the Golden Circle tour. I named this one Caramel, after the ice cream I had earlier. She was my favorite.